Chocolate Kisses
by Hero of Tyme
Summary: Hermione returns to Hogwarts her 6th year with a plan to cheer up her best friend, Harry Potter, and some Muggle confectioneries too. For once, that plan doesn't cover every last detail, and Hermione couldn't care less. H/Hr fluff, Oneshot!


For all the planning Hermione had done, she still didn't get a chance to corner Harry until they made it onto the Express itself. The Boy-Who-Lived had spent most of his time cleaning, moping, and allowing himself to be distracted by Ron, and that meant plans were put to the side in favor of more productive things. Hermione had taken what little time she did get to spend with him to make sure his summer homework was complete enough that he wouldn't get detention, which meant there was no talk of plots, plans, or pranks.

But now, however, the Muggleborn witch had an opening, though she could tell already from the approaching voices in the corridor that the compartment currently containing just Harry and Hermione would soon be filled by the Weasleys, along with Neville and Luna. Glancing over to her emerald-eyed friend, Hermione leaned forward and whispered in his ear, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach at the close contact. Her silly fancies could wait.

"Harry, can you meet me in the Common Room after everyone's gone to bed?"

Pulling back, she watches a look of confusion cross his face before Harry shrugged and nodded, giving her a small, sad smile. Hermione just gave him a slightly larger one in return as Ron burst in and Harry turned to his best mate with faked enthusiasm.

The bookworm debated for half a second on just how she knew that it was a fake attitude, eventually deciding that it was probably just an effect of being both observant and being Harry's friend for the last 5 years. Ron probably wouldn't notice, though. The redhead wasn't known for his observation skills, after all.

Hermione was curled up in one of the chairs in the Common Room, up late under the pretense of needing to stay up to make sure none of the First Years needed anything and to make sure nobody saw fit to sneak out this very first day. While she held one of her textbooks, the witch wasn't absorbing any information, just staring at the page while her mind whirred away, working on her plan, what to say, how to pull things off and just in general how to try and pull Harry out of his slump that he's been in. This was perhaps the best way, she had decided: a prank. Not on him, but for the two of them to pull off together. That would cheer him right up, and maybe even help with the memory of Sirius, what better way to honor a Marauder than with a prank?

"Hey."

The Gryffindor prefect jumped in her seat and turned toward the voice only to see the object of her thoughts, with a sigh and smile she shoved the book aside to rise and approach the raven-haired teen.

"Merlin, Harry, you caught me off guard," Hermione said, feeling a little burst of joy as his lips curved upwards.

"It's not as if you made it hard, Miss Books and Cleverness," he teased back, smirking a little. This was comfort, a warm fire in the Common Room with your best friend beside you, willing to support you and help you.

Even as her own smile grew into a grin, Hermione strode forward and pulled Harry into an embrace, feeling him tense up for a second before relaxing into the hug, his arms coming to wrap around her.

"...Harry? Are you feeling okay, after..." She trails off, debating with herself whether to breach the topic, then pushed forward. Gryffindors charge ahead, after all.

"..After Sirius died?" She pulls back, arms still half around him, to regard his troubled eyes with concern.

He's obivously hesitant as well, looking down for an instant before meeting her chocolate brown eyes with his own. With a sigh, he closes his eyes and begins.

"I guess. Maybe. Not really. It's... complicated."

Her reply comes as another hug, and then a tugging on his arm as she pulls him to a couch. Pushing Harry down, she plants herself next to him and faces him, speaking.

"Many things are complicated, Harry, and as you know I am something of an expert in complicated things. So just, make a list about it or, or, just talk. That usually helps me, more than crying in bathrooms does at least..."

They drifted into a comfortable, yet tense silence, each waiting for the other to speak. Hermione glanced down at her hands, noting almost with surprise that she still held Harry's from dragging him to their current seat, and removed them to fix her hair. Well, that was at least what she did as a nonverbal excuse, though in all honesty she wouldn't have had a single problem just holding his hands for the rest of the night... They were soft, and yet worn from cauldron stirring, wand waving, broom riding, Quidditch playing, Snitch catching, yard work, Herbology and more she couldn't specifically name at the moment. Nice hands. Not sweaty, not cold, but warm and soft.

Hermione was roused from her musings as Harry sighed and then began to speak, his eyes staring off into nothing as memory took over.

"It's just.. nothing and everything makes sense at once, and it's infuriating and confusing and just..." His speech morphs into an indescernable grunt of frustration, and after a moment of silence his words resume.

"I'm sick of it, I'm sad that so many have died for me, I'm angry that I've been left in the dark for so long, and it's all just brewing, stewing, swirling inside and I just can't take it anymore!" He groans out again in pain and anger, leaning forward to bury his face in Hermione's shoulder. Taken by surprise, all she can do is wrap her arms around him as he clings to her, breathing shakily. Eventually turning to a side, he continues.

"..It just hurts so much to know that the one person who has known and cared about me since I was born, the one person who could've gotten me out of Durzkaban, the one man who was my father's closest friend, just... just left me like that. Because he couldn't take his sister seriously. Because he was a Marauder to the very freakin' end." Harry dissolved into tears, sobbing onto Hermione's shoulder as she held him closer.

"He hurt you by leaving, didn't he?" She said, her heart aching for her poor best friend who had suffered so much. Her response was a nod and sniffling. Taking a breath, she pushed on.

"Listen, Harry, I... I can't make you just magically feel better. Really, truly better, not just a Cheering Charm. But.. if you want, I can help you honor his spirit..."

"How?" His voice was hoarse and filled with emotion.

"With a prank. You said it yourself, he was a Marauder to the very freakin' end, and this is the sort of thing that Sirius would do in a heartbeat for the laughs. It's harmless fun, it involves making a large group of fangirls mad, and it uses your fame to get a laugh."

She pushes his shoulders up so that her chocolate eyes can gaze into his bloodshot emerald ones, and speaks again.

"So, are you interested? For Sirius?"

He pauses, and then gives her a watery smile.

"For Sirius."

Hermione smirks dangerously in return and leans closer, pulling a sheet of paper from her bag, which lay abandoned on the floor.

"Alright. This is what we're going to do..."

It wasn't all that much of a surprise when they found themselves still leaning against each other in the morning, with Hermione's plan laying on the floor where she dropped it after they had both fallen asleep.

It was Monday, the third week of September, when the duo pulled off their plan. They were lucky enough to have a free period off after lunch, and so about halfway through, Hermione nodded towards Harry and within the next 5 minutes they were both standing in front of the Room of Requirement. Harry paced and summoned the room in question, before glancing inside and grinning. They both went inside, setting things up.

It was one of the stranger ways the RoR had set itself up, to be sure. There was a small antechamber, mainly filled by a path separated by rope, much like a Muggle line for waiting for perhaps a ride on a roller coaster, leading up to a desk beside a curtain in the wall. Behind that curtain was another, smaller room, dominated by a booth made of glass and then 4 doorways behind it. Each of those doors was marked with a house crest, and a cursory look out those confirmed that they led to nearby their respective Common Rooms.

Hermione set down her bag and began pulling things out while Harry grabbed a stack of fliers and left. Muttering to herself, the bushy haired witch put up a banner above the curtain and a welcome mat of all things in front of the door into the RoR, which she opened wide as Harry returned. Sharing a grin, Hermione read off a checklist.

"Fliers sent?"

"Check."

"One-Time-Only Welcome Mat is in place, Banner is up, Doors to Common Rooms are set.. You got the bag?"

The Boy-Who-Lived grinned at his best friend, holding up a brightly colored plastic bag and shaking it, the Muggle sweets inside making a noise.

"Operation Honor the Marauder is a go, Miss Granger!"

She laughs at that, and shoves him playfully towards the curtain.

"Now, in you go dear 'hunk of a Boy-Who-Lived'. Your fangirls will be coming," she teased, and with a roguish smirk back at her he slips behind the curtain.

Harry would have to admit that, once again, Hermione had showcased her brilliance and ingenuity to pull things into one somewhat simple, yet hilarious, prank. The best part was he got to experience it all bit by bit, got to study every single isolated reaction. That alone was a huge boon, the sheer amount of chuckles he would get would help to offset the horrid facts of Snape teaching Defense and his and Hermione's current disagreement over his Potions book.

He could hear murmuring now, and his grin grew. The curtain was charmed for one-way silence- Harry could hear the sounds that came in, but none would come out. This was essential. This was what would allow him to see every reaction without letting a single one go to waste, Hermione's presence as a door-guard helping as well. He knew exactly what the rumor mill was going to town on at the moment: his fliers, proudly proclaiming one fact.

'Get 1 Free Kiss from the Boy-Who-Lived!'

Hermione's voice broke him out of his thoughts as she shouted into the curtain.

"Alright, Harry, here comes the first one!"

Barely able to contain his excitement, Harry stood, grinning behind his booth, as none other than Ginny Weasley entered. From the moment she came in he could tell she had sprinted for the Room of Requirement the second she had gotten the flier, and attempted to make herself more attractive as well. Her flushed cheeks, rather short skirt, and conspicuously open blazer made all of that evident enough. Still grinning, Harry took his chances and stepped out from behind the booth, brimming with excitement.

"Why, Ginvera, I never thought you would be the first in line for my little stand..."

This was both the most satisfying and hardest part to pull off. Hermione had helped Harry prepare for this, and as such he was dressed, in her words, 'So hot they'll be baking in your presence', and had his hair ruffled just right, also Hermione's doing. With deliberate slowness, Harry took two steps toward Ginny, who for her part seemed to be struck by his appearance, attitude, and stride. His grin threatening to jump off his face, Harry reached into his pocket and threw a small, shiny, foil-wrapped object at the redhead, who jumped back and caught it reflexively.

Glancing at it for an instant, and then again in disbelief, Ginny Weasley examined the small thing. Pulling apart its wrapper, she found a little cone of chocolate sitting in it. Her temper quickly got the most of her due to the fact that Harry had in fact retreated and was just standing there smirking at her.

"What the bloody hell is this?! I want my kiss from the Boy-Who-Lived!"

And Harry laughed. He laughed for a good while, slowing into chuckles and then snickers as he spoke.

"That, dear Ginvera, is your kiss."

"HOW IS THIS A BLOODY KISS, HARRY POTTER!?"

He just smirked and pointed at the scrap of paper trapped underneath the confectionery, and with a growing sense of anger and outrage she pulled it out and read it.

'HERSHEY'S KISSES'

"One free kiss from the Boy-Who-Lived, Ginny. The exit is that way, please do take the door with your house crest on it and get moving. I hear we have many, many customers today."

Seething with anger at his damned grin, attractive as it was, Ginvera Weasley stormed out of the Room of Requirements, leaving her free Kiss in Harry's hand from when she had thrown it at him. Harry just chuckled again and popped the chocolate in his mouth. Hermione was, indeed, scarily brilliant.

Ginny's was among the best of the reactions Harry saw that day, with others ranging from Romilda Vane's sheer berserk attack which led to a _Petrificus Totalus_! to a giggle from Susan Bones. Colin Creevey came in asking for a autograph instead of a kiss and was obliged, while Slytherin Astoria Greenglass of all people looked almost disappointed at the chocolate instead of a real kiss. The stream of females slowed to a trickle, then to just a few mere droplets of a single person or group of two coming in one after another.

It was nearly supper by the time Hermione came in, book and bag tucked under her arms and a smile on her face.

"Did it go as well as planned?" she asked, tilting her head inquisitively. All Harry did in reply was just burst out in laughter again, doubling over at the memories of all the people that had gotten nailed by Operation Honor the Marauder.

It was Hermione's idea, but Harry had loved it immediately: it was the perfect way to honor Sirius' death. It was a prank, and that alone was perfect, but when combined with flirting, teasing, puns, and multiple female admirers, the entire thing truly represented what Padfoot had stood for in his best days.

The raven-haired wizard eventually wound down, gasping for breath and attempting to speak among bursts of laughter.

"Amazingly, Hermione, simply amazingly! You should've seen their faces!" And he slipped back into his chuckles, falling to the ground to just lay there exhausted and delirious with joy.

She leaned over him, her curls falling around her head like a curtain as Hermione spoke.

"Success, then. Good. We've honored Padfoot, I've cheered you up, and we can resume normal, non-mopey life. Come on, then. Dinner's waiting."

As the Brightest Witch of her Age straightened up, Harry Potter had a revelation of sorts. This might be the last time in a long time he and Hermione would be alone, and with the way things were going with that Potions book, it could be even longer. For once in his life, Harry Potter thought ahead and tried to fix a situation that hadn't yet broken.

"Uh, Hermione?"

"Yes?"

He pushes himself onto his feet and stands up, brushing himself off as Hermione turns back questioningly. Harry took a breath and went for it. What was the worst that could happen? Hermione suddenly becoming Umbridge?

...that was a bad idea, Harry thought. NEVER, EVER, compare Hermione with Umbridge again.

"I, uh, wanted to apologize for being so, uh, stubborn about the Potions textbook.."

He trailed into silence, looking at his feet, before Hermione pulled his chin up to meet her chocolate-colored gaze and firm expression.

"Harry. You have no reason to feel bad for apologizing for something that, admittedly, we have both been uncompromising on. It's okay, I forgive you, if you'll forgive me."

He could only stammer out an "O-of course!" before Hermione hugged him tightly, Harry freezing for a few seconds before reacting and wrapping his arms around Hermione.

Unexpectedly, Harry found himself appreciating how Hermione's hair smelled. Like vanilla, and sugar cookies faintly. It was nice hair, really, long, curly and yet sleek. Nothing like the bushy mess she had in First Year, this hair had a very pleasing fullness to it.

Honestly, Hermione herself was nicer than Harry had ever considered. Perhaps it was the way her and Ron fought, but the Boy-Who-Lived hadn't really considered how pretty she was, how nice her smile was, and how deep her chocolate eyes could peer into both someone's soul and the secrets hidden inside books. With a start, Harry (finally) realized it.

Hermione Granger was a beautiful, intelligent, amazingly loyal young lady whom was also unattached. And Harry Potter liked her. Maybe even loved, if he could put a name to an emotion he hadn't experienced much of.

It took only a split second more of debate to reach a conclusion. There was no reason not to go for it. Even if she turned him down, they were good enough friends that it would only cause a period of awkwardness, right? It could be worse, he could be confessing to a girl who didn't know he existed. No, Harry Potter thought, this would be easy in comparison. And esides, Gryffindors charge ahead.

"Hermione?"

"Hm?"

He pulled back on her shoulders, meeting her confused expression with his nervous, hopeful, emerald gaze. And for the third time that day, Harry Potter had a good idea. Swallowing his nervousness, he smirked.

"You know, Hermione, I think you might be the only female student in Hogwarts to not have gone looking for a kiss from the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Oh really?"

Her voice was still confused, but teasing too. Had she caught onto his game? Perhaps, but not the final endings of it. No way.

"Yep. And I have one more Kiss, too..."

Harry pulled out the tinfoil-wrapped chocolate, removing the shiny covering to find the confectionery the color of her eyes. With another smirk that nearly betrayed his pounding heart, Harry popped it in his mouth. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was yours," he said, leaning a little closer and reaching to cup Hermione's face, who had practically frozen at his actions.

"Here," and Harry leaned close enough that his breath tickled Hermione's lips and his emerald eyes closed, "Let me give it to you."

Their lips met, the taste of chocolate still on Harry's lips as he began to kiss her. It was a tense few seconds with Harry's mind racing as Hermione didn't react, Harry hoping against hope that he hadn't just screwed up everything. And then his soul soared as Hermione's eyes closed and she began to kiss him back, the kiss deepening to a snog within a few seconds.

It was only perhaps twenty seconds, but it felt like an eternity until they parted, both breathless, wide-eyed, and overall a combination of shocked and joy. Harry was the first to speak, Hermione for once having nothing to say.

"So... That good enough?"

Her only response was to pull him by his tie back into a kiss, her free hand going up to mat itself in his raven mop. It was another indescribable amount of time until they parted, breathless again, but grinning.

"Shall I book my next Hogsmeade weekend for you, Mr. Potter?"

"Only if I can take the high-ranking position of your boyfriend, Miss Granger. I know I might not have all the perfect qualifications, and it has some high standards, bu I think if you just give me a trial run things will be alright."

"That is more than acceptable, Mr. Potter. I'll fill you in on expectations and duties later, but we can get started on your first, namely kissing your girlfriend."

Needless to say, they decided that it would be best to have Dobby bring them dinner for two to sort out things and make sure there were no misunderstandings. And, of course, so they could do lots of kissing. And so it ended as it began, with Chocolate Kisses.

AN: Yes. I do like puns. Puns are funs, and I'd like to thank a 14 hour car trip that allowed me to get this story dones. ._.

I also like rhyming. I'm no poet, and I know it, but hey! I wouldn't want to blow it.

i'm sorry

i'll stop now

R&amp;R with some C&amp;C! Go ahead, really! Tear it to pieces! Point out every little thing I did wrong, I dare you! It'll help me become a better writer in the end. Thanks, hope you enjoyed.


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